Carcass-dehairing machine



Sept. 21, 1926.

O. C. SCHMIDT CARCASS DEHAIRING MAc Ifl Filed June 29, 1925 ssneezs-slneefz INVEN TOR.

3 Sheets-Shget 2 O. C. SCHMIDT GARCASS DEHAIRING mcuxma Filed June 29Sept. 21, 19126.

1,$@0,950 o. c. SCHMIDT I CARCASS DEHAIRING MACHINE Filed June '29 1925s Sheets-Sheet 5 atented Sept. 21, 1926.

; ieoaaao UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR C. SCHMIDT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE CINCINNATIBUTCHERS SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CARCASS-DEHAIRING MACHINE.

Application filed June 29, 1925.

My invention relates to carcass dehairing machines arranged fordehairing carcasses,

such as hogs, and it is the object of my invention to provide adehairing machine of this character which is economical for use inplants where small numbers of hogs are killed at a time, and to providea machine which requires little power to operate, and which is soconstructed that the carcasses are readily and quickly scalded anddehaired, and delivered from the machine with little expenditure oflabor and manipulation.

It is the object of my invention further to so support the hog whilebeing dehaired that little exertion is required'to move the hog intodischarging position; further, to so relate the scalding vat, thedehairing means, the carcass support for the latter, and the dischargeor gambrelling table, that the carcass is readily elevated from thescalding vat and discharged by gravity into the de hairing apparatus,from whence it is discharged in such manner by reason of the novel meansfor mounting the carcass supporting device, that little power isexpended for transferring the carcass from a carcass dehairing positioninto a carcass discharging position and discharging the carcass.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel carcasssupport, and, further, to provide novel means for mounting the same.

My invention will be further readily understood from the followingdescription and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of my improved device, taken on the line 11 ofFig. 3,

showing the carcass in carcass dehairing position, and exemplifying thescalding or tempering tank and the discharge table partly broken away,and showing the feeding-in scoop in assumed position indotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the carcass supporting means incarcass discharging position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my improved device, partly broken away, withthe parts in the relation shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of the carcass dehairing machine, partlyin section in theplane of the line of Fig. 1, and p y broken away SerialNo. 40,151.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary sections respectively taken in theplanes of the lines 5-5, 66 and 7-7 of Fig. 1; and,

Flg. 8 is an axial section of a detail of the pivot means for thecarcass support, taken on the irregular line 8-8of Fig. 1.

Rotary dehairing means are exemplified at 11 as comprising inner rigidmembers 12,

fixed in spaced-apart relation to a shaft 13,

and having arms 14, to which flexible resilient scraper-arms 15 aresecured in usual manner, the latter having thereon scrapers 16 providedwith scraping edges 17 in usual manner. The shaft is exemplified asjournaled in bearings 18 in a frame 19. Suitable means are provided forrotating the shaft, as a gear 21 fast thereon, which is meshed by apinion 22 on the armature shaft of an electric motor 23, fixed on abracket 24 of the frame of the machine.

A carcass support 25 has openings 26 therein, through which thescraper-arms are arranged to move to contact the carcass, when thecarcass support is in carcass dehairing position, exemplifiedin Fig. 1,for dehairing the carcass. V

The carcass support comprises a wall 27 and a wall 28, which are at anangle with relation to each other, preferably a substantial right angle,and have a curved portion 29 therebetween. Means are provided for sosupporting the carcass support, that the wall 27 slopes downwardlytoward the rotary dehairing means when the carcass support is in carcassdehairing position, and means are provided for tilting the carcasssupport for removal of the carcass, preferably so that the wall 28thereof slopes downwardly.

The curved portion of the carcass support and the portions of the wallsadjacent thereto, form the carcass supporting portion of the carcasssupport while in carcass dehairing posit-ion, in which position thecarcass supporting portion is preferably located above the shaft of therotary dehairing means, with the wall 28 extending upwardly andpreferably slightly rearwardly above the shaft position.

The rotary dehairing means rotate in the direction ofthe arrow a, andact with a raising effect upon the carcass, so as to relieve frictiondue to weight between the carcass and the supporting faces of thecarcass support, and for rotating the carcass in the di ection of thearrow b, and moving comprising bars 81, which spacedapart for having thespaces 26 therebet veen, a d are bent to a formso that one, ofthe endsofjthe bars form the Wall '27 ot the carcass support, theother end ofthe bars form the .vv all- 28', and the intermediate bent portions ofthe lbarsiroin the curved portion 0+. said carcass support. Bracing bars32 are lo cated between the ends of the respective,

Wallsoi the carcass support.

The respective outer ends of the bars 51 havespacmg thlmhlesfi 34,therehetvveen,

was 35, 36,.heing received through holes ,.in the respectlve ends of sad bars "and of said bracing bars and through saidthin' bles,

nuts 37, on the threaded ends of said respective rods clamping the partstogether.

In order to. further connlct said bars to .form a substantial rigidgrate structure, and at the same time to provide'clearspaces be t veensaid bars so, that the scraper arms rotate freely therebet veen at thecarcass supporting portion thereof, I provide additional[attaching meansbetween said:

bars, comprising spacing thin'ibles ethetn een said bars, a rod 42 be ngarrangedto pass through intermediate holes in the bars 3.l, spaced fromthe holes therein wh ch accommodatethe rod 85, the said rod L2 pass. lngthrough said intermediate holes and said thiinbles 41, nuts clamping theparts 7 rigidly toge then riereramy also provide partitions td, whichextend from said ha s and are respec{ tively secured. to saidrespectiveba-rs, as by the said being riveted ther eto, at 4-"partitions being .continuations o spaces 26 betiveensaid hars in orderto receivejand protect the legs of, the carcasses being rolled about inthe carcasssupport and having the respective scraper-arms rotatetherein.

These partitionsare preferably secured to the inner'taces of the bars atthe respect ve ends or the carcass support, '(see ig. 6)

tliegipartitions cfone ha not the carcass sup port being secured to,one, of the faces of said bars and the partitions ot the other. ialf ofthe carcass support be ng securedso that the.

to theother face of said has, feet and legs oI-the carcass, which.usually extend' 'endiv'iseoutwardlyatboti ends of.

the' care-z may not be damaged,

End-plates 51 are also preferably provid ed for the, carcass support,these endplates being preferably Wider thanthe inte rmedi ate partitionplates, as shoivn at 52,- 53, and fixed to the bracing bars 32, as byrivets 54. The rods 35, 86, and 42 may also be received through. holesin saidend-plates, the nuts threaded to said rods clamping said end"plates in place.

he end-plates are received across the ends of the triangular spacesbetween the Walls 27 and 28. V

The lower ends of sa d plates are connected rigidly'together, asbyhavingispao.

ing thimbles 5.6;,therebetvveen, a rod 57 6X tending through holesinthe' endsof said partition plates L5 and endplate fil, and. throughsaid spacing tlrimbles 56, nu,ts 58. being threaded, over. thethreadedends, of. said rod 57 for clampingthe, parts rigidly together.

A rigid carcass support isthusprovided in which spaces are. iormedseparatedby )artitions between, which the lecsof the carcasses moveduring, the cleaning, operat1on,,1n order to protect said ,l'egs.anjdcother arts' ot'. the carcass therein froin.. breaki11g.

and injury.

The plates may be provided ivith slots 59, 60, the Walls of-Whichiarefreceived about the. shaft 13,, for extending. theplatesrear;

\vardly of the shaft and enlarging the protectiv effect of sadpartltlons,

I The carcass support isvpivoted to theanain, 'i'rame preferably 111such manner that, the

pivotal axis of the carcass support is on a I L substantial level \v1ththe centero t gravity of the carcass and in adjacencyto thecarcassposition, so that litle e zertion is required to tilt the carcasssupport-in ordertodischarge the carcass.

l have shown the carcass support pivoted on trunnions 61, the pivotalaxes of which are in a horizontal plane abore the hori zontal plane inwhich the axis of rotation of the rotar r dehairin means is located andpreferably in a horizontal planeheloiv the.

topof the carcass position in the carca support. The pivot of thecarcass supp 1s pref rably so located. that when the deha ting operationhas beencompleted and he carcass support is tilted, the carcass\villa'oll toward and pastthe axis oi the pivot to discharge the same.

The axis ofthepivot oft-he carcass supportis located in adjacency to anintermediate portion of the carcass support, the de vice being soconstructedpreferably that the operator need not lift theentire \veightofthe carcass, the effect being more. a t lting of the .carcass' aboutanaxis at the Carcassitor aiding in ready tilting of the carcass sup port,as will more clearly appear by a,comparison of Figs. land 2 V 'i Thetrunnioiis extend-outwardly .end vise beyond" the ,end alates, and areshovvir pro- Pl? I by means of rivets 63. The trunnions or axles rock inbearings 64 on. the main frame, collars 65 being secured to said axlesoutside said bearings. v

The carcass support is provided with suitable tilting means, exemplifiedas an arm 71, shown as an extension of the bracing bar 32. A handle 72depends on a chain 73 attached to said arm. Thereis preferably one ofthese operating arms at each end of the carcass support.

hen the carcass support is in carcass dehairing position, as exemplifiedin Fig. 1, the wall 27 thereof slopes toward the rotary dehairing means,and when the carcass support is moved into carcass discharging position,as exemplified in 2, the wall 28 thereof slopes downwardly toward itsouter end for discharging the carcass by gravity upon a usual dischargetable 74.

Carcasses of this character are in practice suitably 'scaldedimmediately after the killing, so as to prepare the hair and bristlesfor ready removal by the rotary dehairing means, as is well known in thepractice or the art, and the dehairing takes place immediately after'theproper scalding of the carcass has been accomplished. This scaldign' maytake place in a tempering tank 75, suitably supported on suitable legs 76.

In order to make my improved device a self-contained structure, I preferto provide means upon the frame of the carcass dehairing machine whicharearranged to be moved into the tempering tank and lift the carcasstherefrom into the carcass dehairing machine. For this purpose I providea rockshaft 81. which is journaled in suitable bearings 82 on brackets83 of the frame of the carcass dehairing machine. Arms 84 provided withhubs 85 are received about said shaft, and are rigidly secured thereto,and comprise depending shanks 86 and lateral shanks 87, the latter beingspaced apart by spacing thimbles 88, a rod 89 being received throughholes in said arms and through said thimbles and having nuts 90 over itsthreaded ends for clamping said parts together.

There is a suitable tempered water in the temperingtank in-which thecarcasses are placed, the carcass being floated or shifted overthe'lifting arms or feeding-in scoop for shifting the carcass from thetempering tank into the carcass support. The movement of the arms may beaccomplished by means of a handle 91, one of which may be fixed to eachend of the rock-shaft 81.

The pivot of this feeding-in device is preferably adjacent to the,forward end of the carcass-support when the latter is in down position.This forward end of the carcass support may rest upon a cross-brace 92of the main frame. When the feeding-in de vice is shifted to shift thecarcass into the carcass support, the shanks 86 will have been moved toslanting position, slanting toward said carcass support, as indicated indotted linesin Fig. 1, so that the carcass will slide from said. shanksinto said carcass support and into the range of the rotary de- 7'hairing means.

The rotary dehairing means are continu-. ously rotating during operationand act toraise'and, 1n conpinction with the carcass,

support, to rotate the carcass, and to move the carcass againstthe wall28 of the car cass support which,as hereinbefore stated, acts as aretarder upon said rotation, producing sutficicnt friction so that thescrapers act 'with long scraping movements against the the main frame,and be provided withan;

valve 97. The operation of my nnproved device is qulck and simple, thescalding taking place quickly, and the rotary scraping means arerotatedat rapid speed for effecting quick removal of the hair, bristles andscurf on the carcass. V

The carcass support is so arranged and pivoted that when in dehairingposition its front side will over-balance its rear, side so as toautomatically and normally remain in such dehairing position, and itspivot is so placed that the rotary action of the rotatable scrapingdevice thereon is to movethe carcass toward said pivot, but preferablynot to over-balance said carcass support, the over-- balancing of thecarcass support for the purposeof discharging the carcass beingaccomplished by hand.

This construction and arrangement -fur-' ther makes employment of alatch or latches I or similar holding device to maintain the carcasssupport normally in. carcass dehairing position unnecessary, and actspreferably to automatically return'the carcass'support to carcassdehairing position when the carcass has been discharged therefrom. It isof course obvious that suitable latching means, having connection withthe pull handle for automatic release thereof, if desired, may besupplied. 1

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

'1. In a carcass deha r ng machina Jae combination of rotary 'dehairing7 means, a carcass support having an intermediate carcass supportingportion and constructed and arranged for feeding in and discharging thecarcass from the sides of said carcass supporting portion andmeans forpivotin the said carcass support, the axis oi rotation of said rotarydehairing means located below the carcass supporting. face of saidintermediate. carcass supporting portion, and the pivotal axis ofsaid'carcass support located above the major portion of said carcasssupporting face in adjacency to an intermediate portion of said carcasssupporting face, said pivotal axis being spaced upwardly from said axisof rotation, with-the lower portion 7 of said carcass supporting facewhen in ca rcass supporting position located in the same horizontalplane in which said space is lo-' means reach the carcass, and pivotmeans for said carcass support having a pivotal axis above the axis ofrotation of said rotary dehairing means, the radial distance of saidpivotal axis and said annular path from said axis of rotation beingsubstantially equal, whereby said rotary dehairing means move thecarcass toward the pivotal axis of said pivot means.

3. In a carcass dehairing machine, the combination of rotary dehairingmeans whose outer ends describe an, annular path of travel, a carcasssupport having a feeding-in side, a carcass supporting portion in rearof said feeding-in side and provided with openings through which saidrotary dehairing means reach the carcass, and pivot .rmeans for saidcarcass support having a pivotal axis above the axis '5 rotation of saidrotary d-ehairing means, the radial dis tance of said pivotal axis andsaid annular path from said axis of rotation being substantially equal,whereby said-rotary dehairing means move the carcass toward the pivotalaxis of said pivot means, and said car-' 7 cass support over-balancedtoward said lee-c ing-in side thereof.

,4. In a'carcass dehairing machine, the

combination of rotary dehairing means whose outer ends describe anannular path of travel,a carcass support' having a feeding-in'side, acarcasssupporting portion in rear of said feeding-in side and providedwith openings thronghwhich said rotary dahairing means reach thecarcass, and pivot means 'for said carcass support having a pivotal axisabove theaxisot rotation of said rotary dehairing means, the radialdistance of saidpivotal axis andsaid annular path from said axis ofnotation being sub stantially equal, whereby said rotary deha'iringmeans'move the carcass toward the pivotal axis of said pivot means, saidcarcass support over-balancedtoward said feeding-in side thereof, andsaid carcass support with the carcass therein arranged to be moved onsaid pivotal axis for moving said carcass supporting portion away fromsaid rotary dehairing means and thereby shit-ting the weight of saidcarcass past said pivotal axis. 1

5.111 a carcass dehairing machine, the combination of a carcass supportcomprising a carcass supporting portion and having a feeding-in side anda discharge. side at the respective sides of said carcass supportingportion, end-plates rigid therewith, and trunnion pivots extendingoutwardly from said end-plates in alinement with said car supportingportion.

6. In a carcass dehairing machine, the

combination of a carcass support comprising carcass supporting portionand having a feeding-in side and a'dischargeside at the respective sidesof said carcass supporting portion, openings therein through which rotary dehairing means engage the carcass, aprons depending between saidopenings, end-plates extending across the end of said carcass supportingportion, and trunnions extending endwise beyond said end-plates andrigidly secured with relation thereto,the

pivotal axes of said trunnions iI" extended being adjacent to-saidcarcass supporting port-ion. v

7. In a rotary dehairing machine, the combination of rotary dehairingmeans comprising scraping arms, a carcass supporting grate com-prisingbent bars, the intermediate portions of which form a carcass supportingportion when in'dehairing position, depending plates between saidrotatable scraper arms extending from the inner faces of saidbars at therespective ends of said grate,

end-plates extending across the ends of said:

carcass supporting portions, said bars, depending plates and end-platesrigidly secured together, and trunnions extending endwise outside saidend-plates and rigidly secured with relation thereto and having pivotalaxes which, it extended, lie adjacent to said carcass supporting.portion.

8,. In a carcass dehairing machine, the combination of a rotatabledehairing means including scraper arms,'and a rockable carcass supportprovided with openings through which said scraper arms move into contactWiththe carcass when said rockable carcass- Hill able carcass supportpivotally supported at an intermediate portion thereof when in dehairingposit-ion below the top of said carcass position and above the axis ofrotation of said rotatable dehairing means.

9. The combination with a tempering tank, of a carcass dehairingmachine, comprising a frame-including an overhanging portion arranged tooverhang said tempering tank, rotary dehairing means in said framespaced laterally from said tempering tank, a carcass support havingopenings through which said rotary dehairing means act on the carcass,means for mounting said carcass support in said frame, and a feeding inscoop, arranged to be received in said tempering tank, said scooppivoted to said overhanging portion of said frame of said carcassdehairing machine in overhanging relation to said tempering tank fortransferring the carcasses being dehaired from said tempering tank tosaid carcass support, and for constituting said carcass dehairingmachine and said feeding-in scoop a selfcontained structure.

10. In a carcass dehairing machine, the combination of rotary dehairingmeans comprising scraper arms, a carcass support-ing grate comprisingbars forming supporting walls in angular relation to each other andhaving a carcass supporting portion in said angle when in carcassdehairing position,

means rigidly securing together the respective outer ends of said barsin spaced-apart relation, aprons depending from and rigidly secured tosaid bars forming partitions between Which said scraper-arms rotate, andmeans securing together the lower ends of said partitions inspaced-apart relation, said first-named securing means and saidlastnamed securing means located in triangular arrangement about thepath of the outer ends of said rotary scraper arms, and constructed andarranged whereby said rotary scraper arms rotate in the space betweensaid securing means securing together re-[ spectively the outer ends ofsaid bars and the lower ends of said partitions;

11. In a carcass dehairing 'machine, the combination of rotary dehairingmeans comprising scraper arms, a carcass supporting grate comprisingbars forming supporting walls in angular relation to each other andhaving a carcass supporting portion in said angle when in carcassdehairing posi tion, aprons dependlng fromsald bars forming partitions,said bars and aprons having spaces therebetween in which saidscraperarms rotate, and end-abutment plates wider than said partitionsat the respective ends of said grate, and means securing said bars,

said end-abutment plates and said partitions 1n rigid relation, saidsecuring means located at the respective'outer ends of said bars andsaid securing means at the respective ends of said bars and partitions.-

12. In a carcass dehairmg machine, the

combination of a carcass support comprising" bars whose respective endsare in angular relation to each other and having a curvedcarcass-supporting portion therebetween, bars between the outer ends ofsaid first named bars, means connecting together said bars to formtriangular spaces between said r'espective'ends and said second-namedbars, end-plates in said triangular spaces, trunnions on saidend-plates, and rotarydehair- I r ing means arranged to operate on thecarcass through the spaces between said bars. 7

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. I V 1 OSCAR G.SCHMIDT.

